Romance Drabble
by WhenaStarhitsearth
Summary: A dump of ideas when I have writer's block. All romantic from the Animé. Focus on Ash, especially in Pearlshipping, so other shippers: BEWARE! :) I also will accept prompts from my amazing fans! (Hint, hint). Rating may go up..
1. AmourAngst

_A/N: Hi everyone! This is my drabble dump for Ash romance! Updates will only be when I feel like it, or when I have writer's block. Most of it will be pro- Pearlshipping, so, other shippers: BEWARE! :)_

 _I hope you enjoy this. Please leave a review, or suggest writing prompts! I_ will _write on other ships than Pearlshipping, but it won't be my best or most enjoyable work._

 _This first one will be Amourshipping, but not. You'll see. Depending on what you ship, it may have Angst._

 ** _DISCLAIMER:_** _I don't own_ _Pokémon_ _, Anim_ _é_ _, or any of its characters._

 _Gotta' catch 'em all!_ _Pokémon_ _!_

* * *

 **S** he whimpered. "Please, don't let go."

"I won't. Don't worry."

The bridge creaked and groaned and shook, threatening to give out, as he slowly began to pull her up. The wind whipped ferociously around them, and he struggled to hold on to both her and the bridge at the same time.

"I'm slipping!" she called out, her grip weakening.

"No need to worry. I've got you." Slowly but surely, he continued to pull.

She panicked. Looking down at the churning water and sharp rocks below her, she whimpered again. "You're going to drop me!"

"Trust me, I won't," he responded calmly. **Almost there . . . just a bit more . . .** "Just stay calm, all right?"

"Mmhmm," she mumbled back, looking at him worriedly.

The bridge shook again as the wind howled louder.

"Grab onto the bridge with your other hand, okay?" he yelled over the wind once his arm was back onto the bridge. She did as he asked.

"I'm going to let go of your hand now. Grab the bridge."

"O-okay. . ."

"Now, can you pull yourself up? Once you get your torso back up, the rest should be easy. I'm going to back up a little to take some of the pressure off of the bridge.

"No, please, don't move back! What if I slip?"

"I'm still close enough to reach you if there's trouble, okay? Now, keep going."

She nodded, and grimaced as she eased herself onto the bridge inch by inch, until the only thing left was her legs. She looked up again, and he smiled reassuringly.

"You're almost done; you just need to get your legs up and over."

Gripping a rotting plank in front of her, she managed to drag her legs up and over the edge.

Cautious of the unsteadiness of the bridge, he helped her up as she reached her hand out to him. She stumbled a bit, and knocked into him.

"Thanks, Ash," she said, blushing as she remembered the same thing happening at summer camp so many years before.

"No problem, Serena," he replied, letting go of her hand. "But next time, try to watch your step more carefully." What he didn't realize was that she fell because she was looking at him, and not watching where she was going.

"I'll try." She blushed more as she once again gazed at what had diverted her attention earlier.

"Now, let's go," he said as he turned to continue along the bridge. When he realized that the blonde wasn't moving, he turned back towards her. "Serena? Hello?"

The wind gave a sudden howl, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, Ash." Her blush grew. "What were you saying?'

"Nothing. Just that we should be moving on. The wind is picking up, and it's going to be night soon. We can't camp out on this bridge, I'm afraid."

"Oh, right." Her cheeks darkened even more in embarrassment.

They made their way across, more carefully this time, and soon they were camping out under the stars in a clearing in the forest.

Ash, who was keeping watch, sighed as the wind blew through his hair. He was tired from the day's events, and would have liked nothing more than to see a warm place to stay and a soft bed to sleep in the next day. But still, he loved sitting out in the wild, where he could hear the calls of wild Hoothoots as he looked at the night sky above him.

Then he heard a rustling beside him. Turning his head, he saw Serena sitting up.

"Everything okay?" he asked, turning his head back again to continue his watch.

"Yeah . . . it's just. . . Ash?" She gathered up the courage to say what she wanted to say to her companion.

"Mmhmm?"

A pause, then: "Thank you," she finally said.

"You already have thanked me." He slightly inclined his head towards her.

"Not just for today. For everything. For all the time we've spent together, for all the things you've taught me."

"No need to worry, Serena. You don't have to thank me. I've enjoyed traveling with you. It's been amazing. I should be the one thanking you."

"What do have to thank me for?" she asked, trying to subtly scoot closer.

"Well, you've been an amazing traveling companion. You've been a great encouragement to me all this time."

"Go on," she urged, making her way slowly towards him.

"Umm . . . you've been one of the bright parts of my life . . . and. . ."

"Oh, Ash," she whispered, leaning towards him.

He turned his head fully towards hers, but didn't expect what came next.

She pressed her lips against his, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, finishing what she had wanted to do at the airport years before.

His eyes widened in surprise, and not knowing what to do, he awkwardly let his arms hang at his sides.

Her kiss was, well, sweet, but almost frantic in a sense. It almost was as if she was expecting something and trying to get it.

 **Why am I not feeling anything? Where's the spark, the feeling that I should get? Where's the connection, the bond that's between us? Unless. . . NO! It can't be, no, no, NO! We have to be destined to be together! We just have to!**

She kissed him urgently, hoping to feel some indication of their bond, but, sadly, there was nothing. Eventually, she stopped, pulled back, and sighed, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She turned away from him, sniffling.

"Serena . . ." Ash began, hesitantly. "What's wrong?" He licked his lips nervously.

"Did you feel anything? Anything at all?" By now the tears were running down her cheeks, dripping off of her chin and onto her pajama shirt.

"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.

"Did you feel some sort of spark, some connection, fireworks going off in your head? Did you feel that that kiss uncovered our destiny together?"

Unsure of how to respond, he fumbled with an answer. "Well . . . ummm. . ."

"Tell me the truth, Ash."

He sighed. "No. I didn't . . . feel . . . anything."

"I knew it. . ." she whispered hoarsely. "We're not meant for each other."

"Serena- I- I'm sorry_" he tried to begin.

"No, Ash. It's- it's- alright. . ." But she couldn't continue. Breaking down into sobs, she crawled back into her sleeping bag, her back turned to face Ash.

". . . Goodnight," Ash whispered awkwardly as he resumed his post.

It was going to be a long night, and a long journey.

* * *

 _A/N: Well, it's over! What did you think? Enjoyed it? Hate it? Tell me in a review!_

 _Give me ideas! I will update this, don't you worry. I'll update it more if I get writing prompts. Please try to keep prompts K-rated, even though I will accept T-rated prompts occasionally._

 _May we bring light with our brothers and sisters in this dark world. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! We are a city on a hill._

 ** _-*.Starlight.*_**


	2. Night Unova Pearl

_A/N: Hey everyone! First, a shout-out to **Pokeevee57** , **Emperor Menthos** , and **sceptileman12** (guest) for your reviews! I even received a prompt from **sceptileman12** , so, in your honor, this next one-shot is based on your prompt:_

 _"Not very fond of Serena but nice chapter i_ _always thought that it would've been interesting if when Dawn came to Unova something would've happened like at night between her and Ash"_

 _So, that is what this little story is going to be about! I will try my best to live up to your expectations, and I hope you enjoy this update! Please, everyone, leave a review or a request. That would be very much appreciated._

 _Nota Bene : This will be a _much _longer chapter, as I couldn't help but enjoy myself too much writing it. I will leave this ( **.** **.** ) at the beginning and end of any long, unnecessary description that you can skip over/ is not completely essential to the plot, if you do not want to bore yourself with my fantasies. (This is even longer than what a normal story chapter would be from me! :O)_

 _ **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Pokémon, Animé, or any of its characters._

 _Gotta' catch 'em all!_ _Pokémon_ _!_

* * *

 **A** teenage girl yawned as she sat up in bed. After hours of trying, she still couldn't manage to fall asleep. Stifling a groan, she stretched out her limbs, hearing her joints creak and pop. Deciding to take a break from her failed attempts to rest, she began to make her way outside.

She quietly lifted the covers off of the guest bed, and shivered when the cold air hit her skin. The pajamas that she always wore when she was away from home served to keep her arms and legs fairly warm, but did not cover her face, hands, or feet.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she lowered her feet down but recoiled when her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor beneath her.

 **I should have worn socks. Now I have to walk around barefooted.**

Bracing her for the cold, she lowered her feet once more, and adjusting to the temperature, she carefully stood up, cringing as she bumped her elbow into the dresser. Not only did it hurt, but she also didn't want to wake Iris, or her own Pokémon, from their peaceful slumber.

Cautiously making her way out of the room, she stilled at the creaking of the door. Glancing back at Iris, she could see that her new friend hadn't moved an inch and was still sleeping soundly. The same went for her Pokémon companions.

She squeezed through the opening she had made, and tiptoed down the hall, wondering if she would be able to get something from the kitchen to calm her anxious mind.

Her mind had been turning over the same thoughts over and over again for the past couple of days. She felt right at home with Ash and his new traveling companions, but, something was different than when she and Brock were with Ash.

Back then, they were all totally comfortable with each other. Well, at least mostly comfortable. She almost giggled out loud as memories, of herself hiding in her tent and fussing over her bedhead, refusing to let the two boys see her until it was fixed, to be exact, flashed through her mind.

But now, she was almost less at ease. Something had changed. She felt even more self-conscious, and was nervous when she was around Ash. Her heart beat faster, her palms grew sweaty, and she wanted nothing more than to rush into another room with a mirror in it, regain her composure, check her looks, and come out with no one noticing her absence.

What was happening?!

While contemplating and reflecting, she didn't notice that she had made a few wrong turns. So, when she arrived in an unfamiliar place, which was certainly no the kitchen, she was surprised, to say the least.

"What is this room?" she whispered to herself, in awe at the intricate and beautiful carvings on the two large wooden doors in front of her. In the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a golden plaque, so she walked over to it.

 ** _The Music Room. Do not disturb when occupied. Before entering, remember to let someone know you will be in here. The soundproof walls will block out most noise from outside and within, ensuring privacy. Can be locked from within, but not from without. Open to all._**

 **What a curious plaque! It almost seems like it wasn't made for personal use, but rather, for other people or visitors.**

Shrugging, she decided not to think too much on it, but rather to enter. She had nothing to lose, after all, it seemed. It did say that it was "open to all".

She slowly pushed the doors open. It wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. They were surprisingly light for their size, and it seemed that they glided over the luxurious carpet beneath them, not making a sound.

Stepping inside the elaborate room, she sighed in delight at soft and surprisingly warm carpet under her feet. What a change from the cold hardwood she was just standing on!

She carefully closed the double doors behind her, and then took a moment to truly appreciate the beauty and wonder of the Music Room. Her gaze was drawn as if she were watching a fashion show. She marveled at the beauty of the room, but more at the instruments within it.

 **. .**

The room was quite large, but still felt cozy and warm. The carpet was a rich violet, and spread across the whole floor. The walls were a flawless pearly white, adorned with sharply contrasting black musical notes, and even some words, which were hand-painted perfectly.

Guitars, violins, violas, cellos, and even double basses lined the wall on the left hand side. Their polished wood gleamed in the moonlight, and they somehow looked brand new and heavily used all at once.

On the right wall, there were many shelves, on which lay flutes and piccolos, oboes and bassoons, trumpets and trombones, English and French horns, and even recorders. Underneath them lay larger instruments such as tubas, sousaphones, and saxophones. Accompanying them were drums of all types (the symphony kind, mind you), xylophones, a gong, and other percussion instruments.

In the center of the room, there were three stunning instruments. The first, on the left, was a complete replica of a concert harpsichord. It was in perfect condition, and looked perfect alongside the full grand piano to its right. The piano's black paint shone, and its top was open, proudly showing off the strings inside it. It had many more strings than the stunning harp beside it, which, though it had fewer strings, was just as beautiful. It was intricately made with golden paint and beautiful carvings running along it.

The end of the room opened up to a balcony behind violet velvet curtains, which were currently opened and tied to both sides of the opening, allowing the silver moonlight to illuminate the room.

 **. .**

"Wow," she whispered, awed. Slowly, she made her way into the room, any previous thoughts at all, especially of sleep, forgotten. Almost afraid of disturbing the wonderful peace in the room, she crept towards the piano.

 **Man, I haven't played in a _long_ time. I hope I remember something, or I'll be putting this beautiful piano to waste.**

Sitting down before the keys, she trailed a finger along the polished edge of the music stand.

 **Wow. . .**

She sighed. She hadn't seen a piano so beautiful before.

 **I would love to own this beauty. Now I'm glad mom made me take lessons. To be able to play an instrument like this would be amazing.**

Taking a breath, she lifted her hands, only to hesitate and look around her, making sure no one was in the room with her.

 **Boy, am I getting paranoid, too? I could have sworn I heard something. Oh well. . .**

Gathering her nerve once more, she took another breath. Then, she began to play.

A sensational rendition of _Be Still My Soul_ poured out of the well-kept instrument. She closed her eyes, sighing in pleasure as she heard the familiar tune. She had forgotten how much she had enjoyed playing when she was younger.

With only a few fumbles, she transitioned into a rendition of the achingly comforting song _It is Well with My Soul_. Quietly, she began to sing along to the first verse.

 _When peace like a river . . . attends my way . . . when sorrows like sea billows roll . . . whatever my lot you have taught me to say, "It is well, it is well my soul . . . It is well . . . with my soul . . . It is well, it is well with my soul". . ._

"Nice singing," said a soft voice from behind her.

She jerked back, fingers fumbling on the keys, causing a loud _bwraah_ noise, as she whipped her eyes open. Hastily standing up, she turned around to come nose to nose with none other than

"Ash!" she cried out, startled, bringing a hand up to clutch her chest. "You scared me to death." Her cheeks were tinged with pink in embarrassment as she realized that he had heard her.

"Sorry," he shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't realize that I would frighten you."

"Why wouldn't you?! I thought I was all alone for the last- who knows how long! - And you just come out of nowhere! And didn't you read the sign outside? It said, 'DO NOT DISTURB WHEN OCCUPIED'!"

"Sheesh, no need to get _that_ angry at me, is there? No harm done, no need to worry."

"Sorry," she apologized, taking a breath to calm herself. "You just startled me, that's all."

"That's understandable." He continued with his first thought. "But seriously, Dawn, your singing was like, amazing. And I had no idea you could play the piano!"

Her blush darkened, and was suddenly aware of their proximity. Practically the only thing between them was the piano bench, which was no more than the length of two hands, at the most. **Why am I so nervous about how close we are? It's just Ash.**

"My mom made me take lessons when I was still at home." She began to walk to the balcony, attempting to calm her fluttering heart, as she continued. "That was before I had my dream to become Top Coordinator, of course. I was actually quite good at it, according to my teacher." She ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Well, you are!" He followed after her, ending up standing by her side at the balcony railing. "You're amazing at it. How did you even play that song without music?"

Looking up at the moon, she answered him. "I still had it memorized, I guess. And it was one of my favorite songs."

"Why?" He tilted his head the slightest bit in curiosity.

She looked at him once more, their gazes meeting.

"Did you listen to the lyrics?" she asked cautiously, unsure of what she was going to say.

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied. A light blush dusted his cheeks as he knew that half the time he was focusing on her voice rather than the song. **Well, it was talking about joy in peace and sorrow . . . what sorrow would be in her life?**

"Well, my dad . . ." She trailed off, looking out towards the moon once more.

"Your dad . . .?" he prompted gently. He was curious, but didn't want to force Dawn to tell him. He wanted her to take her own time telling him.

"He-"She tried to blink back her tears, but one rebellious one escaped and rolled down her cheek, giving away her grief.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. "Why are you crying?"

"N-no need to worry," she insisted, even though her voice cracked. "I- I'm alright . . ."

"You're not alright, Dawn," said Ash, not convinced. "It's okay to cry, you know," he added more gently.

"I-"She opened her mouth to respond, and then burst into a sob, burying her face into her hands. She was so overwhelmed by her breakdown that she didn't even care that Ash was right there. Her body shook, and her hands did little to muffle her cries.

By some strange impulse that penetrated Ash's thick skull, without a word he gathered Dawn into his arms, allowing her to bury her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he slowly rubbed her back, attempting to soothe her with a quiet, "Shh . . . it's okay . . . I've got you . . ."

Somehow, within the next few minutes they ended up on the floor, Ash with his back against the balcony railings and Dawn on his lap, still crying into his chest, though her sobs had turned into little hiccups and her body was more relaxed. Ash continued calming her, running a hand slowly through her hair and whispering soothing noises.

Slowly, her breathing steadied as she calmed down, and she took a moment to take a few deep breaths, Ash's familiar scent comforting her and his strong embrace warming her. She lifted her head reluctantly, cringing as the cold air hit her damp cheeks.

Rubbing her face with her sleeve, she said, "Thanks, Ash. I'm sorry I broke down like that-"

"No need to worry, Dawn," interrupted the teenaged boy, unaware that he had once again used the coordinator's catchphrase. "It's fine. You can tell me whenever you're ready. I should be sorry for pushing you to speak-"

"You didn't do that, Ash," interjected the blue-haired girl. "You weren't pushing me at all. Don't blame yourself."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. But still, I feel bad."

"No need to worry," She countered, looking up at him.

"We should probably be getting back to bed now," said Ash, realizing how late, or, in this case, early, it was. He grabbed Dawn's wrist, checking the time. "Oh, wow. It's already one o'clock."

"Wow," agreed Dawn. Then, realizing she was still on Ash's lap, blushed furiously and hastily stood up. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine, Dawn," he reassured her as he stood up himself. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by Dawn's curious question.

"How did you get here, anyways?" Tilting her head, she gave him a curious look. "It's such a coincidence that we ended up in the same room, let alone both being up at night."

"Well . . ." Ash began, a light blush gracing his features.

 **. .**

 _Ash tossed and turned in the guest bed Cynthia had given him. He couldn't sleep. There was too much on his mind. He was thinking about a certain blue-haired coordinator. There was something strange going on, and he was very confused about it all._

 _He was strangely uncomfortable around Dawn. Not in the bad kind of way, but in a way that made him self-conscious whenever he was near her. He wanted to impress her, and look cool to her. And he felt this strange feeling in his head when they touched, whether it was a friendly high five or an accidental brushing of their shoulders. It was unfamiliar, but strangely comforting. And he had no idea why he was feeling these things._

 _Mulling over these thoughts for the hundredth time that night, he decided he needed a midnight snack. Rising carefully as to not wake Cilan or Pikachu, he stretched, hearing his joints creak and pop. He sighed and rolled his shoulders. Man, that felt good._

 _Tiptoeing outside, he began to make his way to the kitchen. Suddenly, that warm feeling entered his mind again. Stopping where he was in the hallway, he closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. Pressing his fingers to his temple, he focused on that feeling, deciding that now was a good time as ever to investigate it, while he was alone._

 _Abruptly, a series of images filled his head. They were not black and white, but he wouldn't say that they were in color. They had a strange teal glow about them._

A figure was walking down the hallway. At one point, that figure passed where Ash stood, but without any recognition, though he could be seen leaning against the wall behind them. Then, the figure arrived at two large double doors at the end of another hallway. They paused, and then walked over to a plaque on the wall. It seemed that they read it, and then decided to enter the room. Even so, they hesitated just for the slightest moment before they pushed the doors open. Afterwards, the doors closed once more.

 _The images were surprisingly sharp and clear, and Ash could make out details with ease. Immediately, he saw that the figure was Dawn. Opening his eyes, he decided to follow her for some strange reason._

 _Following his impulse, he made his way towards the room she was in. As he grew closer, the feeling in his head intensified, assuring he was heading in the right direction._

 _When he arrived, he paused, looking at the paintings along the walls._

 _The first was of an Electric Mouse family. A Raichu father, a Pikachu mother, and a little Pichu baby were playing together. The Pichu was standing atop its mother's head, its cheeks sparking in excitement, while its father was reaching up towards it. They looked very happy._

 _The next was of all the eeveelutions side by side. They appeared in this order: Flareon, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Leafeon, Eevee, Sylveon, Espeon, and finally Umbreon. Each eeveelution was perfect from their coloration to their dainty paws. They were standing in an attack pose, and seemed rather fierce for such cute Pokémon._

 _Finally, strangely, there was another painting of a Pikachu. But this time, it only had one companion. It was a Buneary. The Buneary had a cute blush on its face as it was placing a snapback on the Pikachu's head (or was it taking it off?). The Pikachu had little sparks coming from its cheeks as it seemed to return the blush._

 _Ash stared at the last one, his mouth open comically and his eyes wide. He blinked a few times, then looked closer at the hat. It was red, with a black, rectangular stripe running from the front to the back. It had a blue Poké Ball symbol in the center on the front. His jaw hit the floor._

 _"That-that's my hat that I wore in Sinnoh! And that's Pikachu and Dawn's Buneary! But how . . .?" he tilted his head the slightest bit, trying to figure out how such a painting came into existence, and how it was in Cynthia's house._

 _Then, the painting began morphing. The former image became blurred, and then smeared, and then finally a rainbow mess of colors. They moved and swirled, then slowly came to a stop, forming another blurry image. The image became clearer and sharper, until Ash could see it was a painting of_ _him and Dawn. They were high-fiving for the first time. Then, it shrank to one side as another image of them high-fiving appeared. Then another. Then another. Soon the whole painting was filled with countless images of Ash and Dawn high-fiving, standing together, holding each other back, cheering each other on._

 _Ash gazed in wonder as the painting ebbed and flowed like the tide, showing many things. "Woah . . ." he whispered, amazed at its mystical capabilities. Never before had he even heard of such a thing in existence. He came to a conclusion. "It must have been made by Pokémon. There's no other reasonable explanation."_

 _Then, his eyes falling upon an image of Dawn, holding the Wallace Cup ribbon, Ash remembered the reason he was here in the first place._

 _Walking over to the two wooden doors, he placed his hand on one and gently pushed it open. Immediately a melodic sound filled his ears._

 _Walking in, he barely took notice of the splendor of the room. Instead, his attention was fixated on the center of the room, where Dawn sat, playing and singing simultaneously. He didn't even know how he managed to close the door behind him, but he did, and was magnetically drawn to stand behind Dawn._

 _The words of the song she was singing barely filtered through his brain as he was so focused on her, but he could hear a few lines:_. . . peace like a river . . . sorrows like sea billows . . . "It is well, it is well with my soul" . . .

 _Somehow he found his voice, and managed to say in a low, quiet voice, "Nice singing" without his voice cracking._

 _He didn't expect her startled reaction at all. One moment, she was singing beautifully, the next, she was yelling at him for how much he scared her. He barely registered that fact though, much more occupied with realization that his face was only a few inches from hers, as she had leaned forwards during her rant. He stood there, his gaze drowning in the ocean of her eyes. Then, he realized she had just stopped speaking._

 _"Uhh . . . sorry?" he began, only to be cut off._

 **. .**

"ASH!"

He suddenly snapped out of his flashback, blinking a few times.

"Well . . . ?" asked Dawn, becoming rather impatient.

When Ash had begun that very same way, she was listening intently, desiring to know why he had come down there. To her annoyance, though, he trailed off, staring blankly.

"Well . . ?" she had prompted him, waiting for his response. But none came. Instead, she tried waving her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Ash! . . . Hello?! . . . Ash! . . . ASH. . . ASH!"

Finally, he had woken up from whatever dream he was in, luckily before Dawn got angry.

"I . . . followed you," he admitted, looking downwards. "With aura."

"You- you followed me! And you used aura!"

"It was an accident. I couldn't sleep, so I got up to get a snack, but then suddenly I saw a vision of you through aura." He rubbed his temples in remembrance. "I didn't mean to, though." He leaned sideways against the railing, stretching his legs diagonally.

"Oh," replied Dawn, mulling over it for a second. It did make sense. Except for one thing. "But why would you see _me_ through _aura_?"

He shrugged. "I dunno." Out of the corner of his eye, he was able to see Dawn's wrist. It was getting _really_ late (or early, in this case). "But, anyways, we should really get to bed now."

"Yeah," she agreed, turning to walk back from the balcony. However, she didn't notice that Ash's foot was right in front of hers. She fell backwards, arms flailing.

Unable to stop her fall, she braced for impact, shutting her eyes. Luckily, it never came.

"Whaa-"she began to yell, only for her fall to stop. Opening her eyes, she looked up.

Just above her was Ash's face, eyes filled with concern. One hand was holding her snugly around the waist, while the other gripped the balcony railing for support. She felt her cheeks heat up at this. Their noses were close enough to touch. That fact somehow made her giddy and nervous all at the same time. One hand came to rest on the railing, the other on Ash's shoulder.

"You okay?" he inquired, focused on scanning her face for any sign of pain and not realizing their proximity.

"Yeahh . . ." she whispered shakily. She knew it wasn't because of tripping, but because of something else.

"Good," he replied, and tugged on her waist to pull her upright. He misjudged his power, as he hadn't realized how close they were, and she bumped into him. Their chests connected snugly, and her face knocked against his. In all of this, their lips brushed against each other, almost imperceptibly, but, when it did, both teens felt sparks exploding all over them.

They ended up in a warm hug, comfortable enough except for the fact that Dawn's face ended up smashed into his neck. If not for that, both of them wouldn't have minded staying like this for just a little longer, though they wouldn't admit it. So they separated, both with bright red blushed on their faces.

"Thanks, Ash," said Dawn, but without looking at him.

"No problem, Dawn," he replied.

And so they walked back to Dawn's room. She was about to enter, when Ash said, "Wait."

She turned, caught off guard, as he continued his thought. "Why don't we try that hug again, and do it right this time." A blush was apparent on his face, but she didn't seem to take any notice of it.

She smiled, a blush adorning her own cheeks, then walked back over to him. Slipping into his arms, they shared a warm embrace.

* * *

 _A/N: And there you have it! My second "little" story in this dump. Did you like it? Too cliché? Too OOC? Good? Bad? Tell me in a sneaky cheeky little review! Since this isn't one big story, I'm not demanding a one-review-for-next-chapter requirement. But I would really enjoy it if you give me feedback! (Hint, hint . . .)_

 _Sorry my sentences are so wordy. I like to say a lot, but I hate short sentences in my fics. So I either have to go two short sentences or one long sentence. And then I have something I want to add on, and then another, and then another, and by the time I'm done I end up with a long sentence made even longer with me tacking participial phrases and such all over the place. See what I mean? I just did it again! ;P_

 _The whole "boy-catches-girl-when-girl-trips" sequence is pretty cliché, if you ask me. And the "boy-helps-girl-up-but-over-judges-power-and-ends-up-in-hug" sequence is basically taken from Ash and Serena at camp. Except the mini kiss part. That I came up with._

 _Oh! Don't forget to give me any prompts if you have them. I would be happy to write on prompts for you. You can post it in a comment or PM me, either way works for me!_

 _Thanks to all of you who support this fic through reviews, favorites, follows, and even just reading it! I really appreciate it._

 _Boy, my A/N's are getting reeaally long. Whoops!? I'll try to keep them shorter in the future so you guys don't have to suffer through all of these italicized words invading your screen._

 _May we bring light with our brothers and sisters in this dark world. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! We are a city on a hill._

 ** _-*.Starlight.*_**


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